When I saw my first aticle about biscuit joining I decided to try the
Freud as a kind of Proof Of Concept.
It worked well enough that I bought a Lamello.
That was almost two decades ago and I still have the Lamello.
They've changed the name to a Top 10, or some such, but that original
Lamello still works like it did on the day I got it.
There used to be a guy who posted here and his sig was, "buy the best
and only cry once" - he had the right idea.
Regards,
Tom
Thos.J.Watson - Cabinetmaker
tjwatson1ATcomcastDOTnet
www.home.comcast.net/~tjwatson1

And, what kind of improvement did you see with the Lamello? My first and
only biscuit joiner was and is a Freud. However, in the fifteen or so years
I've had it, I doubt it's been used more than five times, so it's not as if
I need one that would offer greater capability.

Hi all (especially Ed P.)
So, everyone (except one Harbor Fraught fan) seems to agree that
getting a high-end biscuit joiner is the way to go.
So now, does anybody have some hands-on info on how the better biscuit
joiners compare?
The Porter Cable, and DeWalt are what I'm looking at so
far...anyothers in that price range ($200 - yeah, if I had the $$ I
would be looking a the Lamello) I should consider?
How do the PC and DeWalt compare in performance and features?
TIA
-Chef Juke
"EVERYbody Eats when they come to MY house!"
http://www.chefjuke.com

Is the Lamello that expensive? I bought a Makita (very happy
with it, by the way, solid and accurate little machine) and
found out a month later that I could've bought a Lamello at the
same price (~$280 US),albeit on a special, at a different
store. That was years ago, mind.
Festool, here, doesn't even start at twice that money.
-Peter

I don't, not with the Festool Domino recently on the market. Take a look at
their video and then see if you still want/need a high end biscuit joiner ~
or any biscuit joiner for that matter.
http://www.festoolusa.com/pages.aspx?docidU3

Okay, sorry if I wasn't clear...I should have said
"Everyone seems to agree that a higher end joining system is the way
to go." Since the main factor of price was indicated in my note about
the $200 Range and would rule out the Lamello, the Domino etc.
Yes, I still want a biscuit joiner until such time as I can afford
other options.
Oh, and none of this means that I don't think the Domino is an
impressive system....just that it is outside my current budget.
-Chef Juke
"EVERYbody Eats when they come to MY house!"
http://www.chefjuke.com

Just to stir up the pot a little bit.
I don't do enough biscuit work to justify the expense of a dedicated
biscuit joiner.
Solution:
A router, a slot cutter bit, and a straight bit for "T" joints.
WFM
YMMV
Definitely a lot less money.
Lew

Fair enough...but my situation is....I *DO* expect to be doing more
biscuit work in the not too distant future and would like to have a
decent joiner to use for it. Like one of the earlier posters, I have
a Ryobi that has been a bit frustrating in that it does not seem to be
as accurate as I would like (and expected...seems like a repeatable 90
degree slot should be the main function of a BJ) and I have had to
deal with some less than adequate joints because of it.
While I do have routers and a slot cutter bit might be able to create
the slots needed, I don't think it will come near the ease of use of a
decent biscuit joiner.
-Chef Juke
"EVERYbody Eats when they come to MY house!"
http://www.chefjuke.com

Good for you.
1 - I reckon I'm nowhere near good enough with a router to do
that; plus routers scare the shit out of me.
2 - I use the bisquit joiner a LOT. And once you get really
used to the little beastie and develop procedures, it's
just so damn fast, and safe with it ... put it down
anywhere immediately you finish the cuts without thinkig
about spinning bits. I like that ;-D
-P.

I like my PC, but have not used the others that you mention so have no
basis for comparison.
I really liked my Delta stationary (most probably don't know it
existed) but I shared one with a colleague and he took it to Jackson,
TN, when he moved. And it was discontinued long ago. It was not good
for long stock, but for average length boards was more accurate and
stable than the portables. To be really good, it needed the clamps to
be both quick adjust and lever quick clamp. Rather than make that
improvement, it was discontinued.
Frank

Log in

HomeOwnersHub.com is a website for homeowners and building and maintenance pros. It is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.